Vehicle automation has been suggested as a means of improving vehicle safety for almost as long as cars have been in existence—experiments on autonomy in cars have been conducted since at least the 1920s. Only recently, though, has computer technology advanced enough to make true vehicle automation possible.
In addition to improving safety while driving, autonomous vehicles have the opportunity to enhance safety and enrich community resources even while parked. To fully take advantage of this opportunity; however, autonomous vehicles must be able to interact with their surroundings, and in particular, people within those surroundings.
Thus, there is a need in the vehicle automation field to create systems and methods for externally interfacing with an autonomous vehicle. This invention provides such new and useful systems and methods.